Tu B’Shvat at SKA

Tables laden with fresh and dried fruit filled the hallway at the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls in honor of Tu B’shevat, the Rosh Hashanah for fruit trees.

In a more in-depth celebration, the 12th graders enjoyed a Tu B’shevat seder at which they explored new insights about the month of Shevat and the holiday. The seder evolved among kabbalists who settled in Tzefat following the Spanish expulsion; by eating the fruits of eretz Yisroel, they felt a heightened sense of connection to the land is felt.

IIn the SKA seder, the seniors began with grape juice, making brachot on the juice and on the sheva minim and subsequent fruits they ate while discussing the significance of each. The seder was a reminder of our yearning to return to the land of Israel and an opportunity to reflect on our connection to Hashem.